Hiya all,
I have not read True Lineages yet, do the Bonisagus magi have to pay "compensation" to the master of an apprentice when they take someone?
"I've been teaching him for 10 years, and just when he is able to help out in the lab this maga came along and stole him from me! That's between 10 and 20 seasons of my lab-time wasted!" Etc.....
If someone is taken (stolen) late in their apprenticeship, how does their former house react to them? Do they pity them for joining an inferior house, hate them for knowing part of their house secrets etc.
10 years teaching him means basically that the boni is stealing your son, not only an apprentice. if your magus is aproximately human in his approach to stuff, that is.
Strong case for going out, hiring a team of hoplites thast declare simulataneous Wizard's War on the bonisagus. You get your apprentice back, or you get vengeance.
You can try a less violent approach to start with. If any harm came to the apprentice, I would want the boni to suffer, in any case. A lot. "So, Boni, you said your familiar flies around the covenant once per day?"
It's not the Bonisagus magi's fault that it took him 10 years to notice that the apprentice had a knack for Magic Theory, and thus is a 'natural' fit for House Bonisagus...
I believe the spirit of the oath is that house Bonisagus gets to claim those gifted children that will contribute most to the furthering of magical knowledge for the whole order.
I expect that the practice is not quite so idealistic. But I doubt that most magi could get away with a Wizards War just because they lost an apprentice.
Don't forget that Hoplites exist to uphold the rulings of the tribunal, and sworn oaths of the Order. That means upholding the right for Bonisagi to claim apprentices.
After ten years? Oh, could get very messy. Feelings would inevitably run high. Politics, intrigues and potentially feuds and wizard's wars ensue. I'd want to have allies ready to hand before I tried that trick, as the Bonisagus maga.
There's no compensation, no.
True Lineages states that the practice have led to Wizard's Wars, especially when the Bonisagus is perceived as abusing his/her privilege. I'd be careful.
The right for bonisagi to claim apprentices is just as valid as the right any wizard has to declare wizards war.. .. wizards war isn't some kind of allowance the code gives when people break the rules or something, it's actually a right to declare war on any other wizard for pretty much any reason you so choose, and someone nabbing your apprentice after you've spent 10 years teaching them is certainly good enough for most people.
Yup, basically it comes down to a few more things than "well, I will take this guy, because he is brilliant".
I guess the bonis will exercise this right only scarcely, basically for those children with mythic intelligence and a few more lab rat virtues on top of that. It is a right in the code, but also is WW, as pointed out. WW is an extreme case to settle disputes. I guess quite some negotiations will go out before WW is declared or the apprentice is taken by force.
An other issue is that after 10 years an apprentice is likely to have been initiated inbto the mysteries of his house, if any. These houses will not see under a good eye that their mysteries spread outside the house. More reason to kill the master and/or the apprentice.
So, I think bonis take small kids, or tend to refrain from this unless there is a really strong case for removing the apprentice from his/her master/mistress
Makes for a great escenario, though. There is an example in the Guernicus chapter of TL that points to a similar situation. The conflict described there could easily escalate in the same way.
but your magus swore an Oath - the Code of Hermes - granting magi Bonisagi the right to claim apprentices from him.
How can you be swearing vengeance? - you should be proud that the youngster has been offered this great opportunity...
(And as for finding Hoplites to attack the Bonisagus magus - well - Hoplites are the upstanding defenders of the Order and supproters of Quaesitores and the Code ... more likely they'll take you into protective custody as soon as you make an approach to them!
So it seems as though there may be the chance of a WW against the Bonisagus maga, and the apprentice would gain a reputation throughout their original house.
The apprentice that I am thinking of is very gifted, and has exactly the right qualities that the maga needs for her research project. She has spent many years touring the different tribunals to find such an apprentice. I suppose there could be some negotiations beforehand, and an offer of vis/books to the current master.....
I will have to sit down and consider the offers she might make - though the apprentice gaining the Enemies (former house) flaw could be good...
Yes, and the bonisagus also swore that oath, which says that if Bob the wizard gives him a months warning and declares wizards war, he's perfectly free to kill him ^^
All it means is that there is no consequence by the -law- of the order.. but that certainly doesn't mean people will be happy about it, especially as this is a special case.. and 10 years is a -long- time.
Another thing to bear in mind is that wizards war isn't always necessarily declared to kill the opponent.. in this case, assuming the bonisagus isn't a combat master, it would be perfectly acceptable to declare war as a form of intimidation. Give me back my apprentice or else, kindof thing.
Well, presumably they can just say: "And I'm taking him back...."
I would imagine that Bonisagi would defer to magi with higher House Status (or whatever it's called) but otherwise leave each other's apprentices alone.
Presumably, this right also applies to Trianomi? In which case they would take apprentices for devious political reasons or to take them from abusive masters.
Remember that magi of House Bonisagus swear a modified version of the Oath. They do not "concede to Bonisagus" the right to take their apprentice but instead swear to share their discoveries with the rest of the Order.
So a Bonisagus magus cannot take the apprentice of another Bonisagus magus. They might very well share, though, e.g. through fostering.
if you can prove that the magi took your apprentice for less then honorable reasons then you might be able to bring charges.
it depends on the game you are in. i have been in several games and in some might makes right and in another laws are what you can get approved. are magi in your game honorable and nice to each other or are theya bunch of evil wicked men?
